Industry Jobs

[Dan31]

Other than trying to contact directly to manufacturers are there any actual job sites related to work in the firearms industry? I've noticed very few companies list a way to contact them about careers with them.
I want to be like in the old days of a Traveling Salesman, travel over up to three states talking to everyone and giving them great customer service. I've worked commercial sales for auto parts, I ran my own business which every sale was a cold call so selling is a natural thing. Its how you talk to the customer and treat them, that alone boosted sales.

[NoSecondBest]

Sometimes they have listings on their web sites (the larger companies) under “careers”. Without a very solid resume of experience in this industry, it’s a very difficult to land a job with them. It’s also not as glamorous as you might think.

[5whiskey]

I second nosecondbest. I briefly thought about moving to western NC and working at Ruger. It would be quite the pay cut. But I’m older I have a career. If you’re young and starting out, and started with a company, the possibility to work up is always there. Such still happens in America, though some would have you believe it doesn’t.

[ghbucky]

If it were me, I'd start by talking to my LGS. I see manufacturer reps on occasion. I don't know if they work directly for the manufacturer, or if they are working for a 3rd party rep firm. I suspect it is the latter.

[Henny_Lee]

The best way is to visit the official website of any firearm company or manufacturing industry for the job vacancies in their career section. Just collect the mail ids and and shoot a mail along with your resume.
Next thing you can do is to get yourself registered in any of the job portals to get vacancy related alerts. In my opinion LinkedIn is the best platform where you can make connections and apply for jobs as well.
https://www.simplyhired.com/is another job portal where you can apply for jobs also.
During this pandemic situation its better to be at home and work remotely and also you can utilize your time in some online courses as well.
Well, I can suggest you to pursue gun smiting courses if you are interested in this industry. You can get a handsome salary in this career. Here I got a good read for you on Gunsmithing career

Hey mate, got an amazing opportunity at NSSF. Check them out

https://jobs.nssf.org/jobseekers/

[shurshot]

"I want to be like in the old days of a Traveling Salesman, travel over up to three states talking to everyone and giving them great customer service"

Those days are LONG gone. That was a different era. I'm sure any remaining jobs like that are highly coveted positions. Almost everything is done online now.

And as Daisy Red Ryder BB guns are now made in China, the future is bleak.

[Eddiejoe]

I have a friend here in Phoenix who used to be a pharmaceutical salesman (a legit one...really!) long before A/C made it to autos. He had to carry several clean shirts in his car and change before each appointment!

[ghbucky]

https://www.indeed.com/q-Firearm-Ind...tive-jobs.html

[brasscollector]

A sales rep for Aero Precision sounds enticing. Too bad I'd be a horrible salesman but I wouldn't let a potential employee discount go to waste..

[ghbucky]

A sales rep for Aero Precision sounds enticing.

I especially like the part of the ad that says:

Knowledge of firearms a plus.

Ya think!?

[FITASC]

Quote:
A sales rep for Aero Precision sounds enticing.
I especially like the part of the ad that says:
Quote:
Knowledge of firearms a plus.
Ya think!?

Why? It is a lot easier to take someone with years of sales experience and the right personality and teach them about the product than to take some gun nut with zero sales experience and no sales personality.

[T. O'Heir]

Knowledge of firearms a plus, but not essential? Sales types don't need to know much of anything. They'll tell you anything to make a sale.
What there absolutely is none of is entry level jobs in firearmsland. Nobody is training apprentices either.

[BarryLee]

I'm not sure about the Traveling Salesman stuff, but companies are hiring. I know GLOCK often has positions posted on Indeed and it seems like I saw something about SIG hiring. Obviously it depends on what your goals and qualifications might be, also if you're willing to relocate. I might also add a word of caution that while the industry may be booming right now this could quickly change for any number of reasons.

[Dan31]

Yes, I know its an unsettling world we live in these days. I'm an enthusiast but not a gun nut about it. Discounts...its a plus but its not a top priority, a long rich career is more important to me.

Besides I'm just over 50 and burned out on dopey people in retail/commercial automotive market.

[Mike38]

I worked for a short period for a major gun manufacturer whom shall remain nameless. Saying that it's not as glamorous as one would think is an understatement. They treat employees like crap. Why? I'm not sure. Probably because you could be replaced tomorrow, so they don't care.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by BarryLee

I might also add a word of caution that while the industry may be booming right now this could quickly change for any number of reasons.

I just listened to a replay of a recent podcast interview with Pete Brownell. He certainly has an inside view of the industry, and what he said is that there isn't any boom, and it won't be followed by a bust (in terms of employment, at least). The reason is that the companies got burned before. The entire industry geared up to increase production in 2016 because they were all certain that Hillary Clinton was going to win the election and clamp down on evil guns. When Trump was elected, the boom imploded and a lot of companies were stuck with huge quantities of surplus inventory.

Mr. Brownell said the industry learned from that. Despite the current demand market, manufacturers are working at capacity to meet demand as well as possible, but they are NOT adding capacity because they don't want to gear up and get stuck holding the proverbial bag. Mr. Brownell didn't discuss employment in the industry but it's probably safe to assume that if the companies aren't adding capacity, they also aren't hiring additional people.

[FITASC]

Mr. Brownell didn't discuss employment in the industry but it's probably safe to assume that if the companies aren't adding capacity, they also aren't hiring additional people.

If companies have gone to 24/7/365 production, they might be hiring workers for that. Whether that will be long-term or just a year or so until the backlog is eased is another thing.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by FITASC

If companies have gone to 24/7/365 production, they might be hiring workers for that. Whether that will be long-term or just a year or so until the backlog is eased is another thing.

Yes, "IF" they have gone to three shifts they might be hiring to fill out the second and third shifts. As I said, he didn't discuss jobs -- he was discussing sales and inventory. I guess it's a question of definition as to whether adding a third shift would fall under the moniker of increasing capacity. It doesn't involve more machines (which cost money) or added floor space (which costs money) but it's still an asset they didn't have before, and people cost money, too. Sure, it's easy to cut people when the heightened demand drops off, but some companies may not be of the modern mindset that regards employees as throw-away items. They may not want to expand their workforce when they expect the crunch to end within six months to a year. Plus, if they lay people off when the crunch ends and those people can't find other employment, the employer takes a hit on the unemployment tax.

[dakota.potts]

NSSF has a website/board listed somewhere that has shooting sports jobs listed. I don't know how comprehensive it is, it's been several years since I was looking.

In my experience working for a couple firearms companies, it's pretty easy to get a job on the manufacturing side if you have machining/manufacturing experience, but you will almost universally get entry-level manufacturing pay (not nearly as great as many of the old-timers in the industry tell me it once was, in some cases hardly livable on your own). Everywhere I worked, when it came to business/support services - sales, logistics, marketing, graphic design, etc. - they hired by skills in the subject first and actual knowledge of/passion about firearms was almost non-existent on the list of criteria. I've worked with people in office positions who didn't even know how to safely handle unloaded firearms. Sad but true. Talking to many representatives at SHOT show has convinced me that unfortunately this is often the case but not so with every company. Something you have to really feel out on an individual basis and find the right company culture for you.

[Recoil spring]

I recently applied to a 1911 pattern pistol maker named Staccato in Georgetown, TX for a technical customer service rep. Despite decades of experience, expert level in firearms, and a bachelors degree they did not hire me. Also applied to a rifle maker in Leander, TX called Larue, who make AR-15's, seems American gun makers don't want intelligent employees, that is why I have a strong purchasing pattern with non-American gun and ammo makers.

I would rather my money go to people like me who can read and write. This is why Glock and SIG rule the police market worldwide, and they are not American.

[Scorch]

Many, maybe most, of the "big names" in the firearms industry are relatively small shops, entrepreneurial businesses. This is an entrepreneurial business field, you start your business and make a name for yourself. Very few get really big, some are 3 or 4 employees churning out their particular brand of firearms.

With the internet, a person can search, locate a manufacturer, order a firearm, and pay while sitting in their Lazy Boy with fuzzy slippers on. Why would you need travelling salesmen for that? What would you bring to the party? About all your contacts would be purchasing clerks for major sporting goods distributors and large-ish firearm retailers, and even then there is little you could contribute since ordering is done according to past sales and re-supplying pre-determined inventory levels. And often the order is set up and sent by a computer after a clerk checks it while drinking their morning coffee.

Corporate product reps are small teams that travel around to regional sales leaders for product intros and promotional events. Typically, they are advanced users who are extremely knowledgeable of the supply chain and development schedule, and if they feel there is enough demand they can influence development of a new product. If you want to "break into" the firearms industry, go solo, find a product, build your customer base, market yourself.